When the Con-Dems ushered in the bright shiny new era of coalition politics with a tripling of student tuition fees the wave of anger this provoked seemed to suggest a popular opposition would be an enduring feature of this government's term in office...

On Monday I wrote to the attorney general, Dominic Grieve, to ask him to consider whether or not the 15-month sentence handed down to Stuart Hall for multiple sexual assaults on young girls was unduly lenient. If he agrees with me that it is, he will refer it to the Court of Appeal who can then decide to increase the sentence. I believe it is his public duty to refer.

The last few weeks, indeed the last seven months, have been completely unprecedented in terms of the media focus on child abuse. It's hard to believe, and just as hard to read, the plethora of shocking stories... However, I believe some of this is simply coincidence but some gives me reason to be optimistic. Yes, I really did say optimistic. Rather than view all the reports of these horrific cases as a sign that things are getting worse, we should actually be pleased that they are being exposed, that they are being discussed and that offenders are being taken to court.

There is nothing worse than being accused of something you didn't do. Well, there is. Being convicted of something you didn't do. But if members of the police force, left-leaning commentators and senior lawyers are to be believed, the worst thing right now is to be identified as a potential wrong-doer.

If someone committed a crime against you should they be let off if it had happened a long time ago? Or would you still want to see justice done, no matter how much time had passed? Well today there has been a lot of debate about comments by a leading lawyer who described the investigation of historical sexual offences under Operation Yewtree as the 'witch-hunting of ageing celebs'.

Hewson seems to have missed a fundamental point of Operation Yewtree: it is fighting to give victims of abuse a voice after years of being too afraid to speak out. She is merely adding to this fear in her article.

News that veteran BBC broadcaster, Stuart Hall, has admitted to a string of sex crimes involving girls and young women in the 60s, 70s and 80s is especially troubling for its similarities with the Savile enquiry.

No sooner had Stuart Hall admitted what he'd done then some voices were calling for anonymity for people accused of sexual crimes. Now at first glance you might think, yes, why should someone's reputation be smeared before they have been proven guilty?